Sheese I can’t believe it’s not cheese

Vegans can now enjoy the taste of cheese which is not made from dairy but still tastes exactly like cheese thanks to artisan makers of Sheese.

Did you know? that non-dairy cheese originated from China back in the 16th century, which was made using fermented tofu or whole soy. Since then home made vegan cheese evolved and many ingredients are used such as nuts, soy milk, and soy yogurt. Around the late 90s vegan cheese became popular in the commercial field. Within the 00’s a number of different types of vegan cheeses such as mozzarella, cheddar, etc. became available.

Courtesy of Sheese via Gifta I was gifted a few packs to try out and I was highly surprised by the quality, look, texture and taste of all the cheeses.

Sheese

Back in 1988 Sheese was founded by Debs, Frans, Guy and Mark who each are intolerant to dairy products. They bring to the UK an array of award winning Scottish vegan cheeses. All of their dairy free vegan cheeses are a healthy cheese alternative, perfect for people with plant based diets and people with dietary restrictions like lactose intolerance. All are gluten, dairy, lactose & animal free, and certified Vegan & Kosher (Pareve).

Years of research, development and production was involved to bring original, traditional cheeses, from taste to texture, to our tables. Their new range of vegan cheese is made from coconut oil, and doesn’t contain Hydrogenated Fat or Palm Oil. Their soya comes from an IP Source, and is made from the best quality, clean, dehulled soybean seeds as GMO is an important issue to us, and all of their ingredients they use are sourced as non-GMO.

Sheese range can be purchased from over 180 stores, but soon to be expanded up to 800 stores across the UK!

The taste of vegan Sheese

All the Sheese comes within reseable plastic containers, and have long sell by dates, as there is no dairy used and are made with coconut oils and other natural ingredients such as maze and starch.

Every single Sheese really did taste like cheese.

• Grated mozzarella – is mild, creamy and stringy when cooked.
• Original Spread – just like cream cheese just slightly denser but ever so creamy.
• Mild Cheddar – crumbled and grated like real cheddar, tasted exactly like a mild cheddar, full of flavour, smooth and creamy.
• Red Leicester – milder than normal Red Leicester but has a nice colour to it and melts really well.

Recipes

Sheese is very similar to real cheese in a lot of aspects from flavour to texture so they are not just great in eating on their own along with some vegan crackers but also work beautifully within cooked dishes and bakes.

Vegan Burger using Sheese Mild Cheddar Style

Ingredients

Burger Buns

• 570g plain flour + extra for kneading 
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 2¼ tsp instant yeast 
• 2 tspn salt
• 325ml warm water
• 4 tbsp olive oil or veg oil  

Vegan egg wash

• 3 tbsp almond milk 
• 1 tspn agave syrup for sweetness
• 1 tspn mustard 
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Sauce

• 115g vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Seasoning salt and pepper

Burger patties

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 large aubergine, diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 cup Sheese Mild Cheddar, grated
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 119g gluten free breadcrumbs
• Seasoning salt and pepper

Toppings

• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• Sheese Mild Cheddar, grated
• Lettuce leaves
• Tomatoes, sliced

Method

Burger Buns

1. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix the ingredients together. 
2. Create a well in the centre of the flour and slowly add the warm water and olive oil to the dry ingredients, and then mix together with a spatula to form a dough.
3. Flour a clean surface, and then pour the dough onto the surface. Flour your hands and fold the dough together. Knead for about 8-10 minutes with your hands and knuckles. The dough might be sticky at first, but you can add up additional flour whilst kneading to make it easier to manage. You want the end dough ball to be smooth.
4. Lightly grease the ball of dough with some additional oil and place back into the bowl in a ball. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a kitchen towel and let it sit for at least 1 hour on the counter in a warm area to double in size.
5. After an hour punch down the dough and fold over on a clean surface.
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls and roll each into a ball. Using your fingers, pinch and pull the undersides to shape each ball round.
7. Place on baking trays lining the balls up, and keep them 4 inches apart as so they don’t stick together when cooking.
8. Cover with a light kitchen towel and allow the balls to proof for another 45 minutes.
9. In meantime preheat the oven to 400f/200c.
10. After 45 minute using a pastry brush, brush a vegan egg wash over the buns and the sides. Sprinkle over sesame seeds over the top.
11. Bake your buns for 15 minutes in the oven until lightly golden. Remove, and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool fully.

Sauce

1. For the sauce mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Burger patties

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and add the eggplant cubes. Cook until soft.
2. Once cooked mash in a bowl until you have a soft place or blitz in a blender.
3. Add the onion, vegan cheese, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs. Add seasoning.
4. Wet your hands and form 4 equal patties from the aubergine mixture.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and place the eggplant patties and cook on each side until crispy and golden brown.
6. For the toppings, place onions and agave nectar into the same frying pan used for the patties. Cook for a few minutes until caramelized.
7. Place the sauce on the inner sides of each bun. Add lettuce, tomato slices, and aubergine patty, and caramelized onions on top.

This vegan burger was lovely. The aubergine patty was crisp but yes moist and soft and the cheese gave it that extra creaminess. Everything worked beautifully.

Vegan Chestnut Strudel using Sheese Red Leicester Style Slices

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 200g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and roughly chopped
• 100g canned peeled chestnuts
• Seasoning salt and pepper
• 4 sheets filo pastry
• 15g butter, melted
• 150g Sheese Red Leicester, chopped
• 300g jar red pimentos, drained and sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400f/200c/Gas mark 6.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a food processor with the chestnuts and blitz until you have a paste like consistency. Season.
4. Lay a sheet of filo pastry onto a clean work surface, brush with a little melted butter. Top with another sheet of pastry and repeat until you have a stack of 4 sheets.
5. Spread the chestnut mushroom mixture at one end in a long line and leave an inch around edge. Then scatter over the Sheese Red Leicester on top along with the red pimentos.
6. Then start to roll up, like a swiss roll enclosing the filling and lift onto a clean baking sheet.
7. Brush the top with any remaining melted butter and cook for around 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.
8. Serve warm or cold.

Really tasty vegan strudel, loaded with flavour of the stuffed with chestnuts, red pimentos and the Sheese Red Leicester gave it that extra cheesy taste, even though not real cheese. A flavoursome mouthful after every bite.

Vegan Pizza using Sheese Grated Mozzarella Style

Ingredients

• Sweetpea Vegan Pizza Dough
• Sheese Mozzarella
• Tomato puree
• Courgette, sliced
• Green pepper, sliced
• Mushrooms, handful sliced
• Pak Choi

Method

1. Make the pizza dough as according to packet instructions.
2. Spread over the tomato puree and sprinkle over the mozzarella.
3. Top over the sliced vegetables.
4. Bake in oven for around 8 minutes or until done.

Sheese Mozzarella is a little stronger than normal mozzarella but still resulted in a lovely stringy texture making it just like a normal pizza.

Vegan Cooked Berry Brownies using Sheese Original Spread
(adapted from recipe by Sheese)

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Ingredients

Brownie mix

• 2 large bananas
• 150ml almond milk
• 50ml maple syrup
• 50ml oil
• 30g cocoa powder
• 150g flour of choice
• 50g sweetener of choice
• 1 tspn baking powder

Topping mix

• 1 x tub Sheese Original Spread
• 50ml almond milk
• 50ml maple syrup
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 75g mix of frozen berries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and grease and line a 9×9 inch baking tin.
2. Place all of the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.
3. Spread this into the base of the tin and set aside.
4. Next blend the topping mix in a bowl and pour over brownie mix in tin.
5. Drizzle over peanut butter and scatter over the frozen berries. Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until firm. Then cool.
6. Cut into 9 bars and enjoy. If not going to eat straight away place in fridge.

A lighter alternative to the normal chocolate brownie with the Sheese topping giving it that extra, extra creamy texture and fruitiness.

Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake using Sheese Original Spread

Ingredients

Biscuit base

• 200g vegan biscuits, blitzed to make crumbs
• 8 tbsp vegan butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 300ml coconut whipping cream
• 680g Sheese Original Spread
• 100g icing sugar
• Raspberries blitzed keep some back for decoration
• Lemon, juiced

Method

1. Melt the butter and add blitzed biscuits to the butter.
2. Press the biscuit mix into two small or one large grease lined spring form tin.
3. Whisk together the coconut whipping cream, Sheese Original Spread and icing sugar together.
4. Then add lemon juice and mix again.
5. Now stir in the blitzed raspberry puree.
6. Now pour into over the biscuit base in the tin.
7. Place in fridge for several hours to set.
8. Once set add the raspberries onto the cheesecake and serve.

I was highly surprised by Sheese Original Spread as tastes just like cream cheese it resulted in a cream cheesecake. Flavoursome and fruity.

Verdict

Being my first taste of vegan cheese by Sheese I was highly impressed by the look, texture and taste. Each and everyone of their vegan cheeses was absolutely delicious and has made me look at vegan cheese in a different way. With such a variety of vegan cheeses as well from mozzarella to cheddar you can practically turn any cheesy recipe into a vegan one instead.

So if you are dairy intolerant, vegan or just looking for an alternate to cheese which is much healthier then Sheese is a great alternate.

Sheese buy now

Bute Island Foods Ltd
The Creamery
Townhead
Rothesay
Isle of Bute
PA20 9JH

Telephone number: 01700 505357

100% Dairy Free Sheese. Sheese are one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of dairy, lactose and gluten free vegan cheese products.

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Thanks to Gifta and Sheese for the vegan style cheeses which truly tasted like real cheese. All views are my own honest opinion.